Academic Use of English

English is one of the major mediums of instruction in different senior secondary subjects and university courses. The academic use of English is promoted to heighten students’ awareness of English commonly used in academic texts they read and write in other subjects, so as to facilitate their current and further studies.

A variety of learning and teaching resources are developed to support schools in incorporating elements of the academic use of English into the English Language curriculum and facilitate students’ self-directed learning. These resource materials can be used in combination flexibly to help students acquire the skills in the academic use of English more effectively.

Online Self-learning Platform

This e-Learning Platform on Academic Use of English aims to heighten senior secondary students’ awareness of the academic use of English and facilitate their self-directed learning through interactive activities with explanatory notes and answer-checking function. The platform comprises six chapters on the common features of academic texts and language skills for reading and writing academic texts. Each chapter comes with brief notes and learning activities, which guide students to explore key concepts of academic use of English. In addition to the e-learning platform, a printable version of the materials and a collection of six posters featuring keys concepts of academic use of English are also available below.

Resource Pack

The Resource Pack, which consists of a Student Book and the Answer Key, comprises six chapters on key language features and skills related to the academic use of English. The Resource Pack includes explanatory notes and learning activities. Teachers are encouraged to make effective use of the materials to enrich their English lessons, support the promotion of Language across the Curriculum in school, and facilitate students’ self-directed learning outside class.

Posters

A collection of six posters is designed to present six key topics on the academic use of English in a lucid and graphical manner for easy understanding. The posters can be used together with the Resource Pack to illustrate important concepts in academic English. Teachers are encouraged to make effective use of the posters to heighten students’ awareness of the features of academic English and display the posters in classrooms, English Room or at appropriate places of the school premises to create a language-rich environment.

Everyday English vs Academic English